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Children's Rights

© Kerry Hook

So frequently people hear the words "children's rights" and mistakenly think that this means kids get to stay up late, eat peanut butter - morning, noon and night -and pretty much have, do, and say whatever their little heart desires. But this is NOT what is meant by these words. Children's rights refers to the basic premise that children have a right to grow up in a safe, sane and stable environment.

The concept of children's rights does not mean that children are in control. It simply means that they have a right to not be abused - mentally or physically, and that they have a right to a stable, predictable home life.

Children have a right to be held in high esteem as treasured members of society. Children have a right to be viewed as little "people" and NOT as "property" of their parents. It is time that we truly understand that children are our MOST valuable and vulnerable members, and are not mere possessions. If we continue to fail in our responsibilities to provide them with these basic rights, we do so at our own peril.

Safety

First and foremost, children have a right not to be beaten and abused. I have never been able to understand how anyone could look into the innocent eyes of a child, eyes that look to you for their sustenance and safety, and then beat them with leather belts or hurt them in other sick and twisted ways in the name of discipline. This is a betrayal of a trust that cannot be excused. We as a society have failed to champion this basic right for children.

Tragically, the courts continue to give children back to the parents who beat them. Children are being placed in harm's way again and again. Recently, Richard from the show "Survivor" was charged with child abuse, yet, he continues to have custody of the child! When someone is charged with property theft, do we let them keep the goods until after their trial? No, we don't - the property in question is immediately impounded and placed into police storage. We don't let bank robbers keep the money until they are proven guilty, so why do we let child abusers keep children until proven guilty?

Why don't we err on the side of safety for children and their mothers in cases of domestic violence? It only makes sense to take children away from the parent accused of abuse until the outcome of the trial, and to keep them away if guilt is determined. Yet, even after victims of domestic violence find the courage to leave the abuser, they will be forced to have continued contact with the abuser because of visitation rights. And sometimes this results in the mother being murdered in front of her children - all because of court ordered visitation! In Tennessee recently, a woman was murdered after pleading with the judge not to let the abusive ex-husband back into the family home for visitation. Her pleas went unheard. Unbelievably, this is not the first time this judge ordered a woman into her death, ignoring her pleas for safety, because of a father's "rights" to visitation. These are entirely unacceptable and clearly preventable deaths.